Spring is in the air! The sun is shining and the snow has melted. It’s once again time to dress the table with my colorful and reversible serger table runner. It’s full of texture with exposed seams, prairie points, bunny tails and fabric flowers.
Reversible Serger Table Runner Inspiration
I designed this table runner a few years ago using a bunch of leftover jelly roll strips from another project. And of course I challenged myself to use my serger to make it. My vision began with a “stripey” table runner with texture, and evolved as I serged.
Creation of Table Runner
I pieced the strips together with the 3 thread rolled hem stitch. I serged the strips wrong sides together so the rolled hem would show on the right side of the table runner. Then I cut the strip sets into two sections and serged the sections together to end up with a rectangle about 16” wide by 48” long.
A Second Runner
I still had a few more jelly roll strips left so I decided to make a second but different runner. I serged these strips together with a three thread rolled hem stitch, adding in a wider strip of white fabric. Then I cut the strips into squares, alternated the layout and added sashing strips in between the squares.
The Reversible Serger Table Runner
Instead of two separate table runners, I decided to make one reversible table runner. I added a wide ric rac trim to the long sides and prairie points to the short sides.
I then layered the two table runner tops right sides together, along with a layer of batting and serged around the outside edges, using a 4 thread overlock stitch.
Here is a closeup of the wrapped corners technique I used at the corners so I didn’t need to trim away any fabric at the corners. For more information about how to wrap a corner with a serger visit my pillowcase tutorial at: https://overtheedge.blog/tutorials/his-hers-serger-pillowcases-tutorial/
I left an opening on one side for turning and closed it up using a fusible web and an iron.
Serger Rolled Hem Prairie Points
My prairie points started as rectangles that were 5” long and 2.5” wide. I serged one long edge of the rectangle and then folded two corners to the middle to make the prairie point. The rolled hem edge ends up in the center of the prairie point.
Finishing Touches
The reversible runner turned out nicely, but I thought it needed a little something extra to make it compete. So I added bunnies on one side and flowers on the other. Adorable!
My Felt Bunnies
I cut out two bunny shapes from some white felt and glued the bunnies to the ends of the table runner. The bunny tails were made from fabric trimmings that were cut off to even up the edges of the table runner. I took the strips and twisted them and then rolled them into a circle to form the tails.
My Fabric Flowers
I had a few more leftover jelly roll strips that I transformed into fabric flowers. To make a flower, I serged one edge of a fabric strip using a 3 thread rolled hem. Then I set up my serger to gather and serged the other long edge to gather the fabric. Pulling on the needle threads, I gathered the fabric a bit more before shaping it into a flower. And I added a fabric covered button to create the flower center.
So they could be easily removed when I wanted to display the bunny side, I pinned the flowers to the table runner.
Reversible Serger Table Runner
I hope you enjoyed learning about how I made my bunnies and flowers reversible serger table runner! And in case you didn’t know, April is National Serger Month. Now would be a good time to serge something fun for spring!
Did you know that you can serge a quilt with a chain stitch? I tried it, and I am so excited to share with you my latest quilt by serger. My Happy Place Quilt is an abstract waterscape quilt designed with a layer cake and a ten degree wedge ruler. I’ve made serger quilts using many types of serger stitches and techniques. But this is the first quilt I have pieced and bound exclusively using a serger chain stitch.
I was so happy with the results that I decided to create an official pattern for the quilt. The pattern is full of step by step photographs and diagrams. And the quilt can be made using a serger and/or a sewing machine. If you’d like to make your own My Happy Place Quilt, you can find the pattern for sale in the Shop section of my blog: https://overtheedge.blog/shop/
Story Behind the Quilt
I created the quilt as a personal design challenge for National Quilting Month this year. And of course, I chose to use my serger to make it. So I guess it counts for National Serger Month too!
I wanted to use my ten degree wedge ruler for another project.
You may remember that last year I used my serger and ten degree wedge ruler to create a watermelon quilt. I’ve used the quilt as both a patio table topper and a tree skirt.
I found a few wedge style quilts online that seemed interesting. But when I saw the “It Takes All Sorts” quilt from Christina Cameli’s book, Wedge Quilt Workshop, I was instantly inspired.
I had the idea, but now I needed the perfect fabric. I found it in the sale rack where I work. It was the Ocean Stone batik layer cake from Boundless Fabrics by Craftsy. The blues and browns reminded me of Lake Michigan. And I love layer cakes because they are complete collections of coordinated fabric. The less time I spend choosing fabric is more time I can spend serging! At first I thought I would do something completely abstract, but as I experimented with my wedge layout, the abstract waterscape began to materialize.
How to Serge a Quilt with a Chain Stitch
Not all sergers are capable of making a chain stitch. But if your serger does, you can use a chain stitch to serge a quilt. I have a Baby Lock Evolution serger, which is both an overlock and a cover stitch machine.
Here are some useful tidbits about serging and quilting with a chain stitch.
Seams can be pressed to the side or pressed open
Uses two threads, similar to a sewing machine
Can be quickly and easily removed if you make a mistake
Blades are disengaged so no accidentally cutting into your seams
Stitch length is usually a little longer than when sewing, about 2.75-3
Don’t have to worry about running out of bobbin thread
Can be used for piecing, binding and quilting
Piecing with a Serger Chain Stitch
I pieced together all of My Happy Place Quilt using a chain stitch and the cover stitch presser foot. Several different feet can be used – standard foot, clear foot, open toe foot, cover stitch foot, etc. Check your manual for the best settings and presser foot to use for your serger. Any foot that has good visibility makes it easier to get accurate ¼” seams. For chain stitch quilting I prefer the cover stitch foot or the open toe foot.
Pictured below are a few presser feet I use to quilt with my Baby Lock Evolution serger. From left to right: standard foot, clear standard foot, cover stitch foot, open toe foot.
I used my left needle and guided the fabric along the right needle marking on the toe of my presser foot. Guiding the fabric this way gave me accurate ¼” seams. I used standard serger cone thread in my needle and chain looper.
Attach Binding with a Chain Stitch
Applying binding with a serger chain stitch is just like applying binding with a sewing machine. You stitch the binding onto the front or back of the quilt and then wrap it around the edges and stitch it down by hand or machine.
I used this binding method for my quilt because I wanted two layers of fabric in the binding at the raw edges of the quilt. I used a very light color binding and did not want the dark fabrics in the quilt to show through. After testing the seam allowances I decided that a scant ⅜” seam allowance was best. The binding on the back would be perfectly secured by the “stitch in the ditch” stitches from the front. A scant ⅜” seam allowance from my left chain needle is between the third and 4th red marking from the left on the toe of my open toe presser foot as seen in the photo below.
I even chain pieced my binding strip seams with the chain stitch on my serger.
When I approached the corners, I simply turned the quilt clockwise and serged off the corner on a diagonal. Then I folded the binding at the corner and serged back on to the next side of the quilt, just like I would on a sewing machine.
After the binding was attached to the front of the quilt, I turned the folded edge to the back and clipped in place.
Finish Binding – Stitch in the Ditch Method
The last step of binding a quilt is stitching down the folded edge of the binding on the front or back of the quilt. It can be stitched by hand or by machine. I completed this last step of my quilt binding by serger, using a chain stitch and the “stitch in the ditch” method from the front side of My Happy Place Quilt. For the best visibility of the “ditch” between the binding and the quilt, I used my open toe foot and the center chain needle position.
You do have to turn your corners just a little bit differently with a chain stitch. When you get to the corner, stop with your needle down in the fabric. Then turn the hand wheel until the eye of the needle just peeks out above the fabric.
Next lift the presser foot and carefully rotate your fabric counter clockwise. Once positioned, start serging again. You may need to use a stiletto or other tool to gently pull or push on the fabric to keep the bulky corner from getting stuck after the turn. I used a pin to hold the binding in place near the corner and removed it after I took a few stitches, since wonder clips are too bulky to use close to the corner.
Here’s a view of the chain stitch in the ditch from the right side of the quilt.
Here’s a close up of the chain stitch on the binding on the back side of the quilt.
Tips for Serging with a Chain Stitch
When piecing my quilts with a chain stitch, I like to trim the thread chain tails to about an inch past the edge of the fabric. The extra inch of thread gives me a little wiggle room, just in case the chain starts to unravel as it is handled.
If you need some assistance with the mechanics of serging with a chain stitch, check out my tutorial: Tips for Serging with a Chain Stitch athttps://overtheedge.blog/tutorials/tips-for-serging-with-a-chain-stitch/. In the tutorial I share tips on how to start and end a seam, how to secure the ends of the seam, and how to easily remove a chain stitched seam.
How to Serge a Quilt with a Chain Stitch
I hope you enjoyed learning about My Happy Place Quilt and how to serge a quilt with a serger chain stitch.
If you have a serger with a cover stitch and a belt loop binder attachment you are going to love this post, Triaxial Weaving with a Serger Belt Loop Binder. A new way to create quick and easy fabric strips for weaving into your own custom fabric! No more making fabric strips on the bias and no more burning your fingers while ironing the folded strips!
Serger Belt Loop Binder Attachment
Baby Lock has a specialty serger attachment called a Belt Loop Binder, which comes in two sizes (1.5” and ¾”). Other manufacturers may have something similar. The belt loop binder is designed to be used with a cover stitch.
I’ve seen it used to make belt loops, handles, straps, and bracelets. Belt loops and straps are very useful. But making your own woven fabric from these strips is way more exciting and is another perfect application for this attachment. And you don’t have to make bias strips for this weaving to work. You can cut strips by the width of the fabric (selvage to selvage), feed them into bias binder attachment on your serger, and quickly make fabric strips ready to weave into cool designs! This method is so much faster than cutting traditional bias fabric strips and standing at the ironing board pressing the edges under. And since it works on the cross grain, you don’t have to spend time creating the bias strips of fabric. I love my serger!!!
Modern Fabric Strip Weaving
Fabric strip weaving is becoming a popular activity. I first saw a bias fabric strip triaxial weaving project in a Sew News magazine (Feb/Mar 2017)
The article/project was titled “Take It or Weave It” was written by Tara Curtis, of Wefty. She invented a tool called the Wefty Needle to help make fabric strip weaving much easier. Bias fabric strips are made and then folded and pressed into bias tape. Then the bias tape is woven into fabric. Of course when I saw the project my first thought was “how can I use my serger to make this easier!”
Tools for Weaving
I purchased a set of Wefty needles from Tara. They work well for weaving ½” folded fabric strips and 1” folded fabric strips made with bias strips the traditional way. However, the Wefty Needles don’t work as well for serger belt loop binder strips. The tool was just a little too wide for the ¾” strips made from the 1.5” belt loop binder. It was hard for me to get through the tight weave of the third row of the triaxial weave. If the Wefty Needle was available in a ¾” or ⅜” it would be perfect for using with fabrics strips made with babylock belt loop binders!
I ended up using a bodkin (for inserting elastic or cord into a casing) to help me weave that 3rd row. The Wefty needle would have worked better than the bodkin if it were the right size for the ¾” strips. Recently, I found a ¾” elastic threader by Dritz that I am going to try on my next project. For other tools needed for fabric strip weaving see the Resources section at the bottom of the post.
Weaving Types
Basic or simple weaving occurs in 2 directions (biaxial at 90 degree angles to each other). Some forms of basic weaving you may be familiar with include plain weave, satin weave, twill weave, basket weave. Triaxial weaving occurs in 3 directions (triaxial 60 degree angles to each other). You can make some really nice weaving projects with basic weaving, but I think there is something special about triaxial weaves. I have included some links to resources about weaving at the end of this post.
Jen’s Triaxial Weaving with a Serger Belt Loop Binder
The Sew News article did inspire me to try fabric strip weaving, even though I didn’t make the basket that was in the article. Following the basic instructions in the article, I created my triaxial weave using fabric strips made on my serger with the 1.5” belt loop binder attachment. I then used the new “fabric” to construct this bucket from Simplicity pattern 8859 (I did make a few minor modifications to the pattern for this fabric basket/bucket). I really enjoyed triaxial weaving so I had to do more of it. After one project I was hooked!
I really like the look of “stars” in triaxial weaving, so I decided that would be my next project. I figured out how to weave the stars after some trial and error and a little research on the internet. It probably would have been faster to purchase a pattern from Wefty to show me how to do it, but I wouldn’t have learned so much about weaving! Like with the fabric bucket project, I used the 1.5” belt loop binder attachment to make my strips. Then I made a pillow from the triaxial weave “stars” fabric that I created. This pillow was constructed on the serger, including using a cording foot to install the zipper. The pillow pattern I created may be included in my blog in the future.
Tutorial – Setting Up and Using a Serger Belt Loop Binder
I created a tutorial and a video to help you be successful using the belt loop binder attachment with your serger. You will find the links below.
What happens to the fabric and thread you trim off as you serge? Does it end up on your lap, your table, your floor or stuck to your project? Spend less time cleaning up and more time serging with Jen’s Serger Trim Catcher & Mat!
The first serger I ever owned had a plastic catch bin that attached to the front cover. It worked well for catching small bits of thread. But if you were cutting off much fabric there was a problem. The catch tray would cause the trimmed fabric to flip up into the loopers and get caught in my stitching. After a few mishaps, I removed the bin and let the trimmings fall to the table or my lap. Eventually I grew tired of all the “hitch hikers” that seemed to travel all over my house as they fell from my clothes. I needed a solution.
My solution was to use my serger to make a simple trim catcher mat that was easy to clean and non-slip, so that my serger didn’t vibrate around on my table. After experimenting with a few ideas, I came up with a working prototype that met all my requirements. And to celebrate National Serger Month, I thought I would share my design with you.
The Design of Jen’s Serger Trim Catcher & Mat
I chose oil cloth for its smooth wipeable surface and its substantial “weight”. The serger trimmings wipe easily into the pocket on the front and are easy to scoop out and throw away.
Grip shelf liner (or rug grip) seemed like a good material to keep my serger from vibrating around the table as I worked.
The design should be simple and easy to construct.
I didn’t want any extra pockets to hold tools on the front of my catcher. Having tools right in front of me is like asking them to get caught in my project while I serge. I prefer to have a tray on the table next to my machine to hold my accessories.
The Evolution was my first serger with Babylock’s exclusive wave stitch and the trim catcher was my first project on that serger. I just had to use the wave stitch to embellish the outer edges of the trim catcher and mat!
This mat works well for 4 thread overlock machines and smaller 8 thread overlock machines like the Babylock Evolution.
Finished size of Jen’s Serger Trim Catcher & Mat – 15” x 18”.
Serging with Oil Cloth and Grip Liner
The only reason I didn’t put “easy” in the title of this project is because of the challenge of working with my chosen fabric. Both the grip liner and the oil cloth are “grippy” and can stick to the bed of your machine or table. I wasn’t sure that I could successfully serge the grip shelf liner and the oil cloth together, but the Babylock Evolution handled it beautifully! As I serged, I made sure the grip layer on the bottom was well supported and not catching on my machine or table. Be certain to test the combination of grip shelf liner and oil cloth layers with your serger. If your serger doesn’t like feeding the grip shelf liner you could always glue it to the underside of the oil cloth after you have completed the serging steps.
Pocket Support
The first catcher I made did not include a dowel or boning for support of the pocket edge. It worked fine, but the pocket edge became a little droopy over time. So in my other versions, I tried a ¼” thick wooden dowel, and a piece of plastic boning (used in clothing for support). Both work well to support the upper edge of the trim catcher pocket. As you can see in the photo below, the pocket with the dowel is more rigid and the pocket with the boning is more flexible.
The Wave Stitch
The wave stitch looks best with thick decorative thread and serged onto the edge of a stable material that will not pucker under the weight and width of the stitching. It’s a stitch with oscillating tensions that creates a “wave” with the upper and lower looper threads. The wave stitch is exclusive to Babylock. If you don’t have the ability to do the wave stitch, you could embellish the edges of your serger trim catcher & mat with a three thread overlock.
Wave Stitch
Jen’s Serger Trim Catcher & Mat Tutorial
Are you ready to make a serger trim catcher for yourself? Go for it! Click on the link below for the full tutorial.
It’s April now, and in a typical year I would be celebrating National Serger Month. In the last few weeks I have been sewing face masks almost non-stop, and I miss using my serger creatively. So I took a short break from mask production to create a serger project to share with you. I’ve seen on the news that in some places people are clapping and cheering for healthcare workers from their balconies. Others are making signs to show support. Well, I’m going to show you how to serge a flag with a flatlock stitch. Hang it outside or hang it in your window to show your support!
The flag is garden size, about 12” x 18”. I thought about making it larger but I didn’t have any pieces of batik large enough to make a bigger flag. Normally, I would just run out to the store to buy what I needed, but that is a little difficult right now.
The flag is reversible and since both sides of the fabric show in this flag, batiks work well. Solids would work too, but batiks are so much richer. Using black thread gives the effect of stained glass. Who knew you could make stained glass with your serger!
Supplies Used for this Flag
Red batik remnant at least 6” x 13”
Light colored batik remnant at least 7” x 16”
Blue batik remnant at least 10” x 26”
Black thread – 1 spool of sulky solids 12 wt (or other thick thread) and 2 cones of Maxilock serger thread
Serger, capable of 3 thread flatlock stitch
Rotary cutter, mat and ruler
Hanging rod
Tool for securing thread tails (large eyed needle or other tool)
Serger Set Up and Testing
I set my serger up for a 3 thread narrow flatlock stitch with the widest width. I used a spool of black Sulky Solids 12 weight cotton in my upper looper and black cones of Maxilock serger thread in my needle and lower looper. The Sulky Solid would have been good to try in the needle too. It would have made the ladder side of my flatlock stitches stand out more. But since I only had one spool, I went with the Maxilock thread instead.
Using scraps of fabric, I tested my stitch settings. After trying a few different stitch lengths, I decided on a stitch length of 1.5 to create my stained glass effect. I serged my samples with the wrong sides together, so the more dense loop side would be on the right side.
Flatlock Piecing on your Serger Video
Watch my short video on flatlock piecing if you would like to see the technique in action.
This photo shows the front side and the back side of the reversible flag. The stained glass look is more pronounced on the front side with the loops and the heavier thread.
Close Up View of Stitching
Flatlock Loops on Front
Flatlock Ladder on Back
Serge a Flag with a Flatlock Stitch
I hope you enjoyed this post and are inspired to serge a flag with a flatlock stitch. Hang it proudly and show your support of all the workers on the front line of this pandemic!
